San Juan County, Colorado
San Juan County is the least populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado in the United States. The county name is the Spanish language name for Saint John, the name Spanish explorers gave to a river and the mountain range in the area. The county population was 558 at U.S. Census 2000. | work = 2006 Population Estimates | publisher = , Population Division | date = | accessdate = 2007-05-11}} The county seat is Silverton. History Mining operators in the San Juan mountain area of Colorado formed the San Juan District Mining Association (SJDMA) in 1903, as a direct result of a Western Federation of Miners proposal to the Telluride Mining Association for the eight hour day, which had been approved in a referendum by 72 percent of Colorado voters.Roughneck—The Life aand Times of Big Bill Haywood, Peter Carlson, 1983, page 65. The new association consolidated the power of thirty-six mining properties in San Miguel, Ouray, and San Juan counties.The Corpse On Boomerang Road, Telluride's War On Labor 1899-1908, MaryJoy Martin, 2004, page 201. The SJDMA refused to consider any reduction in hours or increase in wages, helping to provoke a bitter strike. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,006 km² (388 sq mi). 1,003 km² (387 sq mi) of it is land and 2 km² (1 sq mi) of it (0.22%) is water. The County is located in the heart of the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, with numerous peaks above 14,000 feet in height. Adjacent Counties *Ouray County - north *Hinsdale County - east *La Plata County - south *Montezuma County - southwest *Dolores County - west *San Miguel County - northwest Demographics As of the census2 of 2000, there were 558 people, 269 households, and 157 families residing in the county. The population density was 1/km² (1/sq mi). There were 632 housing units at an average density of 1/km² (2/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 97.13% White, 0.72% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.36% Pacific Islander, 0.72% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. 7.35% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 269 households out of which 23.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.90% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.30% were non-families. 36.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.63. In the county the population was spread out with 20.10% under the age of 18, 4.30% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 40.50% from 45 to 64, and 7.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 110.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,764, and the median income for a family was $40,000. Males had a median income of $30,588 versus $19,545 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,584. About 13.50% of families and 20.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.40% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those age 65 or over. As of November, 2006 the one and only local school had 53 students in grades k-12. Cities and towns *Silverton National historic sites *Durango-Silverton Narrow-Gauge Railroad National Historic District *Shenandoah-Dives (Mayflower) Mill National Historic Landmark *Silverton National Historic District National forests and wilderness *Rio Grande National Forest *San Juan National Forest *Uncompahgre National Forest *Weminuche Wilderness Trails *Colorado Trail *Continental Divide National Scenic Trail Scenic byways *Alpine Loop National Scenic Back Country Byway *San Juan Skyway National Scenic Byway See also *Colorado census statistical areas *Colorado counties *Colorado municipalities External links *San Juan County website *Silverton Chamber of Commerce References Category:Counties of Colorado Category:San Juan County, Colorado